New Zealand vs Windies, 1st T20I: 5 Talking Points

New Zealand and Windies locked horns in the first game of the final leg of the tour at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Friday. The outcome, however, didn’t change for the visitors as they literally couldn’t even compete barring a few middle overs when the spinners were bowling. The new faces Glenn Phillips and Seth Rance performed exceptionally well and made an impact straight away at the highest level. The other debutant, Anaru Kitchen, had an off day but is assured of playing the whole series and would look to make amends in the remaining two games.

The Kiwis posted a huge total of 187/7 after putting in to bat first by the visitors thanks to the half-centuries from Phillips and Colin Munro. In reply, Windies never looked in control of the chase and lost wickets under the pressure of the soaring asking rate. None of the batsmen was able to cross 30 and were bowled out for 140, 47 short of the eventual target. There were a lot of highlights in the game though which caught the attention of the viewers and the cricket experts.

Here we bring you 5 talking points of the game which garnered attention among the spectators:

1. Munro and Phillips’ half-century stand

After being invited to bat first, New Zealand lost their ace batsman Martin Guptill in the very second over of the game. But then Colin Munro and Phillips joined hands and launched an attack after resurrecting the innings early on. Both of them notched up their respective half-centuries smashing the bowlers around the park. Phillips in particular was severe on anything short and batted with a strike rate of 147.5. His partner was even more impressive and was dismissed not before scoring 53 with a strike rate of 143.24. They added 86 runs for the second wicket in 10 overs which pushed their team towards a good total.

2. Windies spinners take control of the proceedings

The partnership of Munro and Phillips surprised the visitors as they went on the backfoot. The spin bowling duo of Samuel Badree and Ashley Nurse bowled beautifully as the champions in the format made a comeback. While the latter scalped the other opener, Phillips was castled by the former as they together conceded only 53 runs in eight overs. Their efforts helped Windies restrict the Kiwis to a below-par total and give the batsmen a chance to go after the target.

3. Debutant Rance shine with three wickets

Seth Rance was handed over a debut by New Zealand as they continued to rotate their key players thereby giving chance to their fringe players. He had a great day as the most dangerous batsman Chris Gayle was snaffled by him and soon foxed Chadwick Walton off the next delivery. It was a dream debut for him as he picked a huge wicket of Gayle who has the ability to turn the game on its head. Rance came back later in the game and fittingly picked the last wicket of Samuel Badree and bowled Windies out for 140. He finished with the figures of 3/30, the best of the line-up on the day.

4. Southee leads from the front on his captaincy debut

Tim Southee was handed over the responsibility to lead the side in the absence of Kane Williamson, the regular skipper. This was also the debut game for him as a captain and he thrived under the extra responsibility. He scalped the crucial wickets of Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite and sucked the momentum out of the visitors. He finished with the figures of 3/36 and was second best to the debutant Seth Rance. He loved the captaincy and looked settled in his role as the regular captain will be back for the next two games.

5. Windies remain winless on the tour

Windies are struggling to come to terms with the skills of the home side on this tour so far. They lost the two-match Test series and also failed to even compete in the ODI series as they were blanked totally. Though their best chance was the T20I leg of the tour where they have been excellent. But the first game was a hard reality check for them as they lost the game by 47 runs against a new-look home side. They would love to win the second game and keep the series alive.

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